"Progress: but still many obstacles" is how most people would describe LGBTQ in asian countries.. People are still discriminated and harassed for being a member of LGBTQ community. As an asian , I am not satisfied with the fact that Taiwan is the only country in Asia legalizing same sex marrriage.Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 3 years ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. It hurts me more since that was my first time being able to vote for my country election. I will continue fighting for my country's democracy in any way that I can . Whenever I feel down, I always think of my friends who are left behind in the country. I help them in ways that I can and being a part of the protest also motivates me. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country.My country ,Burma's sexuality have been described as being "extremely conservative" and I have been wanting to make positive change for our people.Supporting every human who come out and accepting for who they are is the least I can do.As a queer person, I do not want to live in fear and criticized for being who I am.My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. I am here to fight for my equality because I believe that we are all born equally but we are not treated equally. Maintaining good mental health was harder for me than maintaining good physical health. Recently I found out that, my parents could not accept the fact that I am a girl who likes girls. As they are religious human beings, they try to use religion as a tool use against me. Not being able to depend on my parents mentally took a great toll in me. I decided that looking for a LGBTQ friendly therapist is the only thing I can do for now. Luckily, all of my friends are being the best ally I can ever have. As a full-time student having to face both academic obstacles and my relationship problems with my parents , I can say I am handling it pretty well.

"Progress: but still many obstacles" is how most people would describe LGBTQ in STEM. People are still discriminated and harassed for being a member of LGBTQ community. As an asian , I am not satisfied with the fact that Taiwan is the only country in Asia legalizing same sex marrriage. My country ,Burma's sexuality have been described as being "extremely conservative" and I have been wanting to make positive change for our people.Supporting every human who come out and accepting for who they are is the least I can do.As a queer person, I do not want to live in fear and criticized for being who I am.My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. I am here to fight for my equality because I believe that we are all born equally but we are not treated equally Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 1 year ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. It hurts me more since that was my first time being able to vote for my country election. I will continue fighting for my country's democracy in any way that I can . Whenever I feel down, I always think of my friends who are left behind in the country. I help them in ways that I can and being a part of the protest also motivates me. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country. Internet services in my country are shut down frequently by dictators and we have been urging Elon Musk to provide us with starlink internet services so that people in my country can continue to stay online and spread the right information. I want to be able to become tech genius like Elon Musk who is able to provide internet service for Ukraine. I was born in a country where there is no computer science or IT related major or minor in universities and colleges. It was depressing to think that my chance to pursue computer science academically was so low . I have always dreamed of coming to USA and attend my dream college. Over the past few years, the education system in my country , Burma(Myanmar) has reached dead-end due to political coup and enormous covid-19 spread. Most importantly, I do not want to reside in a country where my dreams are invalid. After all the struggles, I finally decided to come to USA so that I can transform my dream into reality. Life is short and I don’t want to keep wasting any part of it. What would my life be if I don’t have the courage to attempt anything? This is the question I always asked myself whenever I become uncertain about things in my life.

"Progress: but still many obstacles" is how most people would describe LGBTQ community in asian countries. People are still discriminated and harassed for being a member of LGBTQ community. As an asian , I am not satisfied with the fact that Taiwan is the only country in Asia legalizing same sex marrriage. ,My country ,Burma's sexuality have been described as being "extremely conservative" and I have been wanting to make positive change for our people.Supporting every human who come out and accepting for who they are is the least I can do.As a queer person, I do not want to live in fear and criticized for being who I am. My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. I am here to fight for my equality because I believe that we are all born equally but we are not treated equally Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 1 year ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. It hurts me more since that was my first time being able to vote for my country election. I will continue fighting for my country's democracy in any way that I can . Whenever I feel down, I always think of my friends who are left behind in the country. I help them in ways that I can and being a part of the protest also motivates me. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country. Internet services in my country are shut down frequently by dictators and we have been urging Elon Musk to provide us with starlink internet services so that people in my country can continue to stay online and spread the right information. I want to be able to become tech genius like Elon Musk who is able to provide internet service for Ukraine. I was born in a country where there is no computer science or IT related major or minor in universities and colleges. It was depressing to think that my chance to pursue computer science academically was so low . I have always dreamed of coming to USA and attend my dream college. Over the past few years, the education system in my country , Burma(Myanmar) has reached dead-end due to political coup and enormous covid-19 spread. Most importantly, I do not want to reside in a country where my dreams are invalid. After all the struggles, I finally decided to come to USA so that I can transform my dream into reality. Life is short and I don’t want to keep wasting any part of it. What would my life be if I don’t have the courage to attempt anything? This is the question I always asked myself whenever I become uncertain about things in my life.

I am 22 year old Asian student who recently came to America for better education.I am freshman majoring in Computer Science at Queens college, CUNY.As a queer person, I do not want to live in fear and criticized for being who I am.My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. I am here to fight for my equality because I believe that we are all born equally but we are not treated equally. I was born in a country where there is no computer science or IT related major or minor in universities and colleges. It was depressing to think that my chance to pursue computer science academically was so low . I have finished 3 years of med school in my country. After all the thoughts and desires, I finally decided to change my life around. I have always dreamed of coming to USA and attend my dream college., I do not want to reside in a country where my dreams are invalid. After all the struggles, I finally decided to come to USA so that I can transform my dream into reality. I believe in a quote that says " Happiness is not ready-made.It comes from your own actions". All that matter is I am happy now and proud to be who I truly am.

I am 22 year old Asian student who recently came to America for better education.I am freshman majoring in Computer Science at Queens college, CUNY. "Progress: but still many obstacles" is how most people would describe LGBTQ in STEM. People are still discriminated and harassed fro being a member of LGBTQ community. As a Taiwanese-Burmese, I am not satisfied with the fact that Taiwan is the only country in Asia legalizing same sex marriage. Burma's sexuality have been described as being "extremely conservative" and I have been wanting to make positive change for our people.Supporting every human who come out and accepting for who they are is the least I can do.As a queer person, I do not want to live in fear and criticized for being who I am.My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. I am here to fight for my equality because I believe that we are all born equally but we are not treated equally. My career goal is to be User Experience designer. I would like to be in charge of working with the products which incorporate Artificial Intelligence since I have great interest in AI too. My goal is to help human interact with these tools in order to develop functionality that fits our needs . I want us to be center of systems and technologies we build. I was born in a country where there is no computer science or IT related major or minor in universities and colleges. It was depressing to think that my chance to pursue computer science academically was so low . I have always dreamed of coming to USA and attend my dream college., I do not want to reside in a country where my dreams are invalid. After all the struggles, I finally decided to come to USA so that I can transform my dream into reality. Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 1 year ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country. Internet services in my country are shut down frequently by dictators and we have been urging Elon Musk to provide us with starlink internet services so that people in my country can continue to stay online and spread the right information. I want to be able to become tech genius like Elon Musk who is able to provide internet service for Ukraine. The amazing thing about STEM is problems can be investigated and solved by science , technology with various methods of mathematics. I think being in STEM major builds resilience and makes people lives better. Scientists, engineers, mathematicians , IT people are constantly trying to make our planet the better place.STEM skills can be used to produce better food , cure diseases, fight crime or educate other people. I believe the whole world is built by STEM. I want to make positive impact on the world by building better future.Using artificial intelligence and datas in information technology still feels like a dream to me. It makes me think how the world is so advanced by looking at all the technologies.

“The loudest dreams are in my mind, buried deep underneath a soft heart”. I was born into a quite traditional family who think “Being different is wrong”. My parents expect me to be perfect in every aspect of my life.They were strict with me and as much as I don't like to agree, they were the reason behind my good grades and test scores.I am quite care - free and optimistic person regardless of my environment. Since I was young , I was not the type to care about other people's opinion about me. I would describe myself as a person who doesn't take life too seriously. Outside the classroom I consider myself as totally different person wanting to embrace things I love. Substance Use Disorder is one of the disconcerting mental disorders as it have quite an excessive number of dire consequences.Among the general population, the statistics shows that the prevalence of SUDs is the highest among the teenagers which highlights that it is the key period of development for SUDs. So, it’s important to properly educate them as early as possible to minimise the risks. Schools and parents have to work hand-in-hand to teach how to prevent and beware of the consequences of SUDs. One way is to organise school events like seminars, workshops or special education classes as to expose them about the dangers while keeping it quite light to make sure it gets to them. A little advance method would be implementing SUDs prevention programmes by working with professionals like counsellors and psychologists. People are more recipent to heed words of working professionals than someone who is not. As for those who are already at risk and suffering from SUDs, the school or parents can help them get back on their feet by making sure they seek professional helps to get a diagnosis, in order to start treatment plan. Although, there's no exact cure for SUDs yet. Some avaible options can help oen to overcome addcition and stay drug-free. Long-term follow-up is a necessity to prevent relapse. Options like treatment programs, detoxification or self-help groups are the usual treatment plans. This perturbing substance use starts from a harmless curiosity to experience the highs, usually in a social event where peer pressure exists or had access to prescribed medications. It can be considered as a problem where the doses of drugs become higher and larger; the dependency causes extreme cravings and withdrawal symptoms and the duration between the previous and next dosages becomes shorter. Once addicted, it’s a long painful journey to recovery. So, the best would be not give into any temptations and not take any drugs from the start. The way I see is that teenagers are the hardest to convince and advise them on the goods and bads. So, we are educating about something like SUDs, we have to make sure we are speaking in the same wavelength and the contents we are delivering are reaching to them. So, like hosting workshops or school events would only work if they are really working hands on and truly see what are the consequences. For example, they could be task to organise a bake sale where the profits would be used to donate to a rehab facility or an organization targeted for prevention of SUDs. Another way would be to ask them to volunteer in these facilities and organzation so they could experience and see the consequences with their own eyes. As incentives, the school could provide them with some grants, certificates or extra credits to excite them about participating wholeheartedly.

Tesla cars' autopilot technology- the one technology that have kept me excited since it was announced around 2015. Being the car maniac myself, I was so excited that autopilot car will have the possible future in our daily routine and lifestyle. Autopilots enable the car to steer, accelerate and break automatically without being driven by human being. It uses ultrasonic sensors and cameras to keep the passenger reach the desired destination safe and sound. I was over- excited about this unbelievable technology when it first came out. Imagine being able to rest or sleep in my own car without having to drive and handle the car. Tesla's autopilot technology may have its ups and downs but I am pretty positive about this technology. After careful developments and improvements, this technology have the chance of becoming one of the world's useful technology that was ever invented. This technology can decrease the danger of drunk driving , driving with sleep deprivation, etc. Autopilot technology should be used not only for Tesla but also for every other car out there. Being the electric car with autopilot brings the Tesla so many benefits for using it. The technology that can give high quality performance also while reducing carbon footprints is exactly what we need for our world's climate change and safety. I, myself, one day, plan to own the autopilot electric car like Tesla. Owning autopilot car would make my life pretty convenient and self-sufficient. This is definitely in my bucket list.

One investing tip that I have taken to heart is to "Never buy meme stocks impulsively". I definitely like to make my money work for me and investing in stocks has gotten me advantages in financial aspects. Meme stocks are likely to be popular for very short period of time and make you wonder if you should buy this stock before it skyrockets again. Knowing when to sell is extremely useful when it comes to meme stocks.

I am 22 year old, Taiwanese-Burmese,female identifying myself as queer.I am majoring in Computer Science since I have great interest in STEM field. "Progress: but still many obstacles" is how most people would describe LGBTQ in STEM. People are still discriminated and harassed for being a member of LGBTQ community. As Taiwanese-Burmese, I am not satisfied with the fact that Taiwan is the only country in Asia legalizing same sex marriage. Burma's sexuality have been described as being "extremely conservative" and I have been wanting to make positive change for our people.Supporting every human who come out and accepting for who they are is the least I can do.As a queer person, I do not want to live in fear and criticized for being who I am.My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. I am here to fight for my equality because I believe that we are all born equally but we are not treated equally. The female leader who has inspired me the most is Taiwan's female president, Tsai-Ing-Wen. She is one of the most admirable leader Taiwan has ever had. She supports quality in human rights, marriage rights , etc. Through out her political career, she has always supported same sex marriage. The biggest pride parade in Asia was held in Taiwan ,2015 . I was there and I could feel how she truly respect the equality of every human. Due to her constant effort , Taiwan becomes the first country in Asia to legalize same sex marriage. One of my cousins was able to acknowledge her marriage proudly because the government has made it happen. I will never forget the joy and happiness in her face when the news represent Taiwan as LGBT friendly country. This is all possible because of the great leader who respects and accepts diversity and uniqueness of human beings. It is rare to find leaders who treat Love as an important aspect of people's life. Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 1 year ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. It hurts me more since that was my first time being able to vote for my country election. I will continue fighting for my country's democracy in any way that I can . Whenever I feel down, I always think of my friends who are left behind in the country. I help them in ways that I can and being a part of the protest also motivates me. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country. Internet services in my country are shut down frequently by dictators and we have been urging Elon Musk to provide us with starlink internet services so that people in my country can continue to stay online and spread the right information. I want to be able to become tech genius like Elon Musk who is able to provide internet service for Ukraine. I want to build the company that prioritizes equality in gender and sexuality.

“The loudest dreams are in my mind, buried deep underneath a soft heart”. I was born into a quite traditional family who think “Being different is wrong”. My parents expect me to be perfect in every aspect of my life.They were strict with me and as much as I don't like to agree, they were the reason behind my good grades and test scores. I am quite care - free and optimistic person regardless of my environment. Since I was young , I was not the type to care about other people's opinion about me. I would describe myself as a person who doesn't take life too seriously. Outside the classroom I consider myself as totally different person wanting to embrace things I love. My hobbies are shooting photographs, editing photos and retouching, etc.I really love learning new stuffs about computers and technology. Everyone in my family relies on me for technology and stuffs around the house and this is one of few things I really take pride in. Many of my friends see me as sarcastic & humorous human being who think life is too short to be stressed about. I am the type to make firm decisions and never hesitate to be honest to people around me. Staying true to myself is also one of my strong points. My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. Coming to United States of America to pursue my dream is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Every opportunity and every struggle I have experienced help me shaped my present identity. I know there will be more struggles and obstacles I must overcome so that I can have my desired future. All my life, I only used to cared about having good grades but now I start to enjoy life as I grow. By following my heart, I see the world of mine as a better place. Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 1 year ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. It hurts me more since that was my first time being able to vote for my country election. I will continue fighting for my country's democracy in any way that I can . Whenever I feel down, I always think of my friends who are left behind in the country. I help them in ways that I can and being a part of the protest also motivates me. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country. Internet services in my country are shut down frequently by dictators and we have been urging Elon Musk to provide us with starlink internet services so that people in my country can continue to stay online and spread the right information. I want to be able to become tech genius like Elon Musk who is able to provide internet service for Ukraine. The amazing thing about STEM is problems can be investigated and solved by science , technology with various methods of mathematics. I think being in STEM major builds resilience and makes people lives better.

"Progress: but still many obstacles" is how most people would describe LGBTQ in STEM. People are still discriminated and harassed for being a member of LGBTQ community. As an asian , I am not satisfied with the fact that Taiwan is the only country in Asia legalizing same sex marrriage. My country ,Burma's sexuality have been described as being "extremely conservative" and I have been wanting to make positive change for our people.Supporting every human who come out and accepting for who they are is the least I can do.As a queer person, I do not want to live in fear and criticized for being who I am.My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. I am here to fight for my equality because I believe that we are all born equally but we are not treated equally Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 1 year ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. It hurts me more since that was my first time being able to vote for my country election. I will continue fighting for my country's democracy in any way that I can . Whenever I feel down, I always think of my friends who are left behind in the country. I help them in ways that I can and being a part of the protest also motivates me. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country. Internet services in my country are shut down frequently by dictators and we have been urging Elon Musk to provide us with starlink internet services so that people in my country can continue to stay online and spread the right information. I want to be able to become tech genius like Elon Musk who is able to provide internet service for Ukraine. I was born in a country where there is no computer science or IT related major or minor in universities and colleges. It was depressing to think that my chance to pursue computer science academically was so low . I have always dreamed of coming to USA and attend my dream college. Over the past few years, the education system in my country , Burma(Myanmar) has reached dead-end due to political coup and enormous covid-19 spread. Most importantly, I do not want to reside in a country where my dreams are invalid. After all the struggles, I finally decided to come to USA so that I can transform my dream into reality. Life is short and I don’t want to keep wasting any part of it. What would my life be if I don’t have the courage to attempt anything? This is the question I always asked myself whenever I become uncertain about things in my life.

General Aung San is the one I greatly admire from my country, Burma. He is a national hero and independence activist who successfully brought peace and independence to our country .He is also the father of Aung San Su Kyi , Noble Peace Prize laureate. He is the key leader who secured the Burma's independence from Britain. Whenever I think about General Aung San, his honesty , resilience and integrity came in mind. He has high moral character that no one can possess.His patriotism and love for his country is truly inspiring for every citizen of Burma. Being a man with pure heart, he hated corruption and bribes. He never took money from government or his personal use . Without any doubt, General Aung San is the best leader that our country ever had. He lived for his country and he made unmeasurable amount of sacrifices until he die. We cannot bank our hopes on possibilities. We must put our trust in ourselves, in our capabilities and efforts and strength and preparations not only for our success but even to avoid our own defeat.(Presidential Address, AFPFL Supreme Council Session, August 1946) For is it not the inherent right of any people anywhere in the world to strive to win their own freedom, and have they not the right to revolt against any and every form of tyranny, oppression and exploitation, foreign as well as domestic? No nation has the right to rule another nation, and if any oppressed nation attempts to overthrow their oppressors, why should that act be considered treasonable or traitorous?( Address of welcome delivered at the reception at the City Hall of Rangoon on July 24, 1946) Those were the two of the most memorable speeches General Aung San has delivered.

The amazing thing about STEM is problems can be investigated and solved by science , technology with various methods of mathematics. I think being in STEM major builds resilience and makes people lives better. Scientists, engineers, mathematicians , IT people are constantly trying to make our planet the better place.STEM skills can be used to produce better food , cure diseases, fight crime or educate other people. I believe the whole world is built by STEM. I want to make positive impact on the world by building better future.Using artificial intelligence and datas in information technology still feels like a dream to me. It makes me think how the world is so advanced by looking at all the technologies.I really love learning new stuffs about computers and technology. Everyone in my family relies on me for technology and stuffs around the house and this is one of few things I really take pride in. Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 1 year ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. It hurts me more since that was my first time being able to vote for my country election. I will continue fighting for my country's democracy in any way that I can . Whenever I feel down, I always think of my friends who are left behind in the country. I help them in ways that I can and being a part of the protest also motivates me. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country. Internet services in my country are shut down frequently by dictators and we have been urging Elon Musk to provide us with starlink internet services so that people in my country can continue to stay online and spread the right information. I want to be able to become tech genius like Elon Musk who is able to provide internet service for Ukraine. My career goal is to be User Experience designer. I would like to be in charge of working with the products which incorporate Artificial Intelligence since I have great interest in AI too. My goal is to help human interact with these tools in order to develop functionality that fits our needs .

I am 22 year old Asian student who recently came to America for better education.I am freshman majoring in Computer Science at Queens college, CUNY. Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 1 year ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. It hurts me more since that was my first time being able to vote for my country election. I will continue fighting for my country's democracy in any way that I can . Whenever I feel down, I always think of my friends who are left behind in the country. I help them in ways that I can and being a part of the protest also motivates me. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country. Internet services in my country are shut down frequently by dictators and we have been urging Elon Musk to provide us with starlink internet services so that people in my country can continue to stay online and spread the right information. I want to be able to become tech genius like Elon Musk who is able to provide internet service for Ukraine. "Progress: but still many obstacles" is how most people would describe LGBTQ in STEM. People are still discriminated and harassed fro being a member of LGBTQ community. As an asian , I am not satisfied with the fact that Taiwan is the only country in Asia legalizing same sex marrriage.Burma's sexuality have been described as being "extremely conservative" and I have been wanting to make positive change for our people.Supporting every human who come out and accepting for who they are is the least I can do.As a queer person, I do not want to live in fear and criticized for being who I am.My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. I am here to fight for my equality because I believe that we are all born equally but we are not treated equally. My career goal is to be User Experience designer. I would like to be in charge of working with the products which incorporate Artificial Intelligence since I have great interest in AI too. My goal is to help human interact with these tools in order to develop functionality that fits our needs . Majoring in computer science will better help me with AI field. I want us to be center of systems and technologies we build. I was born in a country where there is no computer science or IT related major or minor in universities and colleges. It was depressing to think that my chance to pursue computer science academically was so low . I have always dreamed of coming to USA and attend my dream college. Over the past few years, the education system in my country , Burma(Myanmar) has reached dead-end due to political coup and enormous covid-19 spread. Most importantly, I do not want to reside in a country where my dreams are invalid. After all the struggles, I finally decided to come to USA so that I can transform my dream into reality. Life is short and I don’t want to keep wasting any part of it. What would my life be if I don’t have the courage to attempt anything? This is the question I always asked myself whenever I become uncertain about things in my life.I am going to do my best so that my college life is meaningful and exciting.I am ready to leave behind my past, deep dive into my present and fully prepare for my upcoming future. There’s no turning back in this journey to my dream and I really want to succeed.

I am 22 year old Asian student who recently came to America for better education.I am freshman majoring in Computer Science at Queens college, CUNY. Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 1 year ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. It hurts me more since that was my first time being able to vote for my country election. I will continue fighting for my country's democracy in any way that I can . Whenever I feel down, I always think of my friends who are left behind in the country. I help them in ways that I can and being a part of the protest also motivates me. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country. Internet services in my country are shut down frequently by dictators and we have been urging Elon Musk to provide us with starlink internet services so that people in my country can continue to stay online and spread the right information. I want to be able to become tech genius like Elon Musk who is able to provide internet service for Ukraine. "Progress: but still many obstacles" is how most people would describe LGBTQ in STEM. People are still discriminated and harassed fro being a member of LGBTQ community. As an asian , I am not satisfied with the fact that Taiwan is the only country in Asia legalizing same sex marriage. Burma 's sexuality have been described as being "extremely conservative" and I have been wanting to make positive change for our people.Supporting every human who come out and accepting for who they are is the least I can do. As a queer person, I do not want to live in fear and criticized for being who I am. My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. I am here to fight for my equality because I believe that we are all born equally but we are not treated equally.

I am 22 year old Asian student who recently came to America for better education.I am freshman majoring in Computer Science at Queens college, CUNY. Unjust coup occurred in my country, Burma, over 1 year ago. Schools and universities were all shut down and civil disobedience movements are taking place all over the country. The whole country is suffering from dictators who only like to keep the benefits for themselves. The leaders of legitimate government were unlawfully arrested by dictators who claimed that election results are rigged. It hurts me more since that was my first time being able to vote for my country election. I will continue fighting for my country's democracy in any way that I can . Whenever I feel down, I always think of my friends who are left behind in the country. I help them in ways that I can and being a part of the protest also motivates me. If I could do anything with my life, I want to be the biggest supporter for my country. Internet services in my country are shut down frequently by dictators and we have been urging Elon Musk to provide us with starlink internet services so that people in my country can continue to stay online and spread the right information. I want to be able to become tech genius like Elon Musk who is able to provide internet service for Ukraine. The amazing thing about STEM is problems can be investigated and solved by science , technology with various methods of mathematics. I think being in STEM major builds resilience and makes people lives better. Scientists, engineers, mathematicians , IT people are constantly trying to make our planet the better place.STEM skills can be used to produce better food , cure diseases, fight crime or educate other people. I believe the whole world is built by STEM. I want to make positive impact on the world by building better future.Using artificial intelligence and datas in information technology still feels like a dream to me. It makes me think how the world is so advanced by looking at all the technologies. "Progress: but still many obstacles" is how most people would describe LGBTQ in STEM. People are still discriminated and harassed fro being a member of LGBTQ community. As an asian , I am not satisfied with the fact that Taiwan is the only country in Asia legalizing same sex marrriage.Burma's sexuality have been described as being "extremely conservative" and I have been wanting to make positive change for our people.Supporting every human who come out and accepting for who they are is the least I can do.As a queer person, I do not want to live in fear and criticized for being who I am.My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. I am here to fight for my equality because I believe that we are all born equally but we are not treated equally. My career goal is to be User Experience designer. I would like to be in charge of working with the products which incorporate Artificial Intelligence since I have great interest in AI too. My goal is to help human interact with these tools in order to develop functionality that fits our needs . Majoring in computer science will better help me with AI field. I want us to be center of systems and technologies we build. I was born in a country where there is no computer science or IT related major or minor in universities and colleges. It was depressing to think that my chance to pursue computer science academically was so low . I have always dreamed of coming to USA and attend my dream college. Over the past few years, the education system in my country , Burma(Myanmar) has reached dead-end due to political coup and enormous covid-19 spread. Most importantly, I do not want to reside in a country where my dreams are invalid. After all the struggles, I finally decided to come to USA so that I can transform my dream into reality. Life is short and I don’t want to keep wasting any part of it. What would my life be if I don’t have the courage to attempt anything? This is the question I always asked myself whenever I become uncertain about things in my life.I am going to do my best so that my college life is meaningful and exciting.I am ready to leave behind my past, deep dive into my present and fully prepare for my upcoming future. There’s no turning back in this journey to my dream and I really want to succeed.

Tesla cars' autopilot technology- the one technology that have kept me excited since it was announced around 2015. Being the car maniac myself, I was so excited that autopilot car will have the possible future in our daily routine and lifestyle. Autopilots enable the car to steer, accelerate and break automatically without being driven by human being. It uses ultrasonic sensors and cameras to keep the passenger reach the desired destination safe and sound. I was over- excited about this unbelievable technology when it first came out. Imagine being able to rest or sleep in my own car without having to drive and handle the car. Tesla's autopilot technology may have its ups and downs but I am pretty positive about this technology. After careful developments and improvements, this technology have the chance of becoming one of the world's useful technology that was ever invented. This technology can decrease the danger of drunk driving , driving with sleep deprivation, etc. Autopilot technology should be used not only for Tesla but also for every other car out there. Being the electric car with autopilot brings the Tesla so many benefits for using it. The technology that can give high quality performance also while reducing carbon footprints is exactly what we need for our world's climate change and safety. I, myself, one day, plan to own the autopilot electric car like Tesla. Owning autopilot car would make my life pretty convenient and self-sufficient. This is definitely in my bucket list.

Good Education - one of the most essential fields playing enormous part in shaping the world to be a better place to live in. We, people, cannot deny the fact that better education leads to better quality of life and better perception about the world. People with almost no education do not have the proper chance to view the world in optimistic ways. Better education really leads to better world. The more I learn, the more I realizenew things about life and the society we live in. Being an educated person has become the subtle privilege for viewing things in slight different ways than others. Humanity, sexuality, racism and many other important & delicate matters can be learned and explored when you have food education that will guide you. Not all the people have the chance to receive good amount of education and I am extremely disheartened by this fact. Every human beig in the world deserves to have better education. When I was young, I was too lazy and ignorant to realize the fact that education is the one of the main purposes of life. As I grow older, I realize that education plays the enormous part in every matters of the world. I plan to help the world and the people as mch as I can with the education I have received.As I read more stuffs and learn new facts, I become more knowledgeable ,sympathetic and rational. For people to decide the right decisions , they need appropriate amount of education. Education helps the people including me broaden their minds and thoughts. Things such as climate change, political matters need to be discussed so the world doesn’t collapse. The quality of life greatly depends on the education I have received. I unanimoulsy think that schools and colleges need to be more affordable so that people are willing to achieve better kinds of education.

"Always set a budget for everything and keep your credit score healthy"- the most helpful piece of financial advice I ever received from my dad. As I am a foreign student studying abroad, I have to be extra careful about my income and outcome. Having a budget for things such as rent , grocery and transportation really make my finance organized. Since I was a kid, my parents make me understand the importance of money and how to use it wisely without having negative balance. When I become old enough to have a credit card, I make sure that everything is paid back in full by the end of the month. Gradually, it leads to me having a good credit score . That way, I can have better deals for insurance and utility services. I always abide by the advices my parents give. This has lead me to great paths in this aspect of my life. Due to my parent's guiding me, I am also considering Finance as my potential career.

" Studio Anywhere" has been my top one favorite book since it was published first around 2015. It is the photography guide book written by one of the photographers I admire. His name is Nick Fancher whom i have been a great fan of his works. In this book, it includes every essential thing for shooting in studios , street , basement etc. Photography is the only field i am interested since i was a kid. I like to see and read and learn those photography guide books that can lead me to become the world famous photographer one day. I myself is pretty passionate about career and profession in photography and imaging. This book inspire with its unique pictures, instructions and tips that i have never encountered before. My favorite sentence from this book is " Moody light is so cinematic and theatrical and it is like placing my subjects on a stage under the light and letting them become a character, someone else". This book made me clear about what I want for my future path and lifestyle. one day, I hope to be working side by side with this author of the book.

I was born in a country where there is no photography major or minor in universities and colleges. It was depressing to think that my chance to pursue photography academically was so low . I have always dreamed of coming to USA and attend my dream college. Over the past few years, the education system in my country has reached dead-end due to political coup and enormous Covid-19 spread. Most importantly, I do not wanna reside in a country where my dreams are invalid. After all the struggles, I finally decided to come to USA so that I can transform my dream into reality. Life is short and I don’t wanna keep wasting any part of it. What would my life be if I don’t have the courage to attempt anything? This is the question I always asked myself whenever I become uncertain about things in my life. I finally decided to listen to my heart that has been saying that Photography is my present.I love taking portraits of my friends and family. Eventually, it brings out the best version in me. In the past, I really struggled to express my feelings and emotions. Nowadays, photography become the crucial part of my life keeping me out of anxiety. I believe in a quote that says “ Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from my own actions” Having a camera in my hands simply make me happy and I plan to have a career related to photography. In my future, I wanna help other people realize that photography is worthy .

Inspiration of MINE My forever favorite piece of art that keep me inspired throughout my life would be " How An Elephant Gets Through A Door". I came across it while watching korean Netflix series called "Mine". The elephant stuck in the door represents the main female character who is afraid to face the prejudice of the world. She is a closeted lesbian who has not been able to move on from her first love. The elephant has been stuck in the door so long thinking the door is narrow that it will never get out. Actually, there was nothing but the narrow door. It was never confined in the first place. It was not a room to begin with. After knowing the elephant could get out, the female character also changed her mindset . She is not afraid of how the world will think of her. She finally open the door by listening to her heart and be proud of who she is. This art struck me so hard since both the elephant and the character are really similar with me in many ways. Being an asian and closeted queer person make me really sympathetic with this art and the whole story behind it.

"Into The New World" is my forever top one comfort song that has inspired me throughout my life. It is the debut song by korean girl group called Girls' Generation.As the title says , the song is mainly about opening the new door or era to one's life. The lyrics are all about positive vibes and accepting the new beginnings no matter the past is. No matter how hard things get hard, there will always be a light at the end of tunnel. My most favorite lyrics is " We are together, feeling this moment, Into our new world". This song have reminded me over and over again that I am not alone in this world."Into the new world" has influenced and inspired many of the women and feminists. it empowers every human being to not lose hope and keep going with their lives. Moreover, this song has been used in so many protests, anti-government rally and pride festivals. It is literally regarded as the national anthem of korean girl groups. Personally, it also helps me overcome my confusion and uncertainty about my sexuality. It is the absolute wonder that one song can guide you through the right path. I listen to this song everytime i need motivations and encouragement.I will never forget the time when I got to listen this song live at one of their concerts.

“The loudest dreams are in my mind, buried deep underneath a soft heart”. I was born into a quite traditional family who think “Being different is wrong”.I was born in a country where there is no photography major or minor in universities and colleges. It was depressing to think that my chance to pursue photography academically was so low . I have always dreamed of coming to USA and attend my dream college. My parents’ American dream is to have stable life with decent house and car. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I wanna keep doing that forever. Coming to United States of America to pursue my dream is one of the best decisions I have ever made.Now that I am in USA, I plan to have alife I have always wanted. I believe in a quote that says “ Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from my own actions” Having a camera in my hands simply make me happy and I plan to have a career related to photography. In my future, I wanna help other people realize that photography is worthy . I also want my parents to realize photography is powerful enough to move people’s hearts. Many years from now on, I see myself graduating from the college, having a professional job and make my parents really proud of me.One of my several goals is to have a gallery or exhibition full of my own works.

My favorite book " Studio Anywhere" has been my top one favorite book since it was published first around 2015. It is the photography guide book written by one of the photographers I admire. His name is Nick Fancher whom i have been a great fan of his works. In this book, it includes every essential thing for shooting in studios , street , basement etc. Photography is the only field i am interested since i was a kid. I like to see and read and learn those photography guide books that can lead me to become the world famous photographer one day. I myelf is pretty passionate about career and profession in photography and imaging. This book inspire with its unique pictures, instructions and tips that i have never encountered before. My favorite sentence from this book is " Moody light is so cinematic and theatrical and it is like placing my subjects on a stagee under the light and letting them become a character, someone else". This book made me clear about what I want for my future path and lifestyle. one day, I hope to be working side by side with this author of the book.

Inspiration of MINE My forever favorite piece of art that keep me inspired throughout my life would be " How An Elephant Gets Through A Door". I came across it while watching korean netflix series called "Mine". The elephant stuck in the door represents the main female character who is afraid to face the prejudice of the world. She is a closeted lesbian who has not been able to move on from her first love. The elephant has been stuck in the door so long thinking the door is narrow that it will never get out. Actually, there was nothing but the narrow door. It was never confined in the first place. It was not a room to begin with. After knowing the elephant could get out, the female character also changed her mindset . She is not afraid of how the world will think of her. She finally open the door by listening to her heart and be proud of who she is. This art struck me so hard since both the elephant and the character are really similar with me in many ways. Being an asian and closeted queer person make me really sympathetic with this art and the whole story behind it.

One of the most necessary things the people around the world needs right now is equal health care. No human deserves to be ignored or abandoned by health care system which is supposed to be taking care of people. Every country needs proper and qualified system that will gradually leads the world to be a better place. We, people, are facing the pandemic which is eventually leading to millions of people's deaths. Corona virus is getting stronger and stronger while every health care system around the globe is getting more fragile. Hospitals are understaffed and medical equipments such as masks and sanitizers are not distributed in time. The world became more of a disaster since COVID-19 broke us. Medical companies have been trying everyday to manufacture a vaccine strong enough to resist the virus. Finally, long-awaited vaccine have become available. It is true that COVID-19 is not disappearing anytime soon. The one way we can solve this problem is by accepting the COVID-19 vaccine. Every person on the earth should be mandated to get one for the sake of their health and well-being. More vaccinate people on the earth means more chance leading to COVID-19 free world.

My story, my pride I am typical asian student who is trying to break the prejudice of my parents.I was born in a country where there is no photography major or minor in universities and colleges. It was depressing to think that my chance to pursue photography academically was so low . I have always dreamed of coming to USA and attend my dream college. Finally, after listening to my own heart and soul, I dropped out of medical school and came to New York. Most importantly, I do not wanna reside in a country where my dreams are invalid. After all the struggles, I finally decided to come to USA so that I can transform my dream into reality. Life is short and I don’t wanna keep wasting any part of it. What would my life be if I don’t have the courage to attempt anything? This is the question I always asked myself whenever I become uncertain about things in my life. In the past, I really struggled to express my feelings and emotions. Nowadays, photography become the crucial part of my life keeping me out of anxiety.I believe in a quote that says “ Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from my own actions” Having a camera in my hands simply make me happy and I plan to have a career related to photography. My kind of dream is to live my life doing what I love and I want to keep doing that forever. There’s no turning back in this journey to my dream and I really want to succeed. Having an unconditional love and passion for photography is something I really take pride in and I continue to do so. Photography will always be my pride , passion and pleasure.